Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technology

Governments around the globe have included carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as part of their net-zero plan, but there is no evidence that CCS will work at scale. While technology will be part of the solution to climate change, we can’t rely on tech alone. We also need a rapid transition off fossil fuels onto renewables sources of energy and a collective, cultural transition away from high consumption, high energy living.

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“In short, carbon capture is not the same thing as carbon sequestration. Carbon capture is the trapping of carbon emissions after they have been emitted but before they enter our atmosphere. Carbon sequestration is the storage of removed or captured carbon in various environmental reservoirs.”

Impactful Ninja, Carbon Capture vs Carbon Sequestration: What’s the Difference?

“Scientists told the Guardian that an overdependence on CCS was ill-advised. More than 700 scientists have written to the prime minister asking him to grant no new oil and gas licences, describing CCS as “yet to be proved at scale”, and the UN secretary-general called on governments last week to stop developing oil and gas.

Bob Ward, head of policy at the Grantham Institute, said CCS technology would be needed for certain industries, but that using it to enable the continued use of fossil fuels was a mistake. “What does not make sense is to carry on with further development of new fossil fuel reserves on the assumption that CCS will be available to mop up all the additional emissions. While the costs of CCS will come down, it will make fossil fuel use even more expensive, and it will not eliminate all the risks resulting from the price volatility and energy insecurity of fossil fuels. A successful and competitive economy in the future will be powered by clean and affordable domestic energy, not unreliable and insecure fossils fuels,” he said.

“CCS is not required if the government moves to renewables as quickly as possible – especially as I am unaware of any CCS that works,” added Mark Maslin, professor of earth science at UCL.”

The Guardian, UK government gambles on carbon capture and storage tech despite scientists’ doubts